Zip line attractions continue to grow in popularity. Contemporary zip line attractions typically involve one or more cables which extend between towers. Each tower has at least one platform. The cable that extends from one tower to the other is connected at its ends, respectively, to each tower above and in proximity to the platform of that tower. User's connect to the cable while standing on the platform, depart from the platform, travel along the cable in a harness, and arrive at the platform of another tower. Such attractions may involve two towers, or more than two towers in what is referred to in the art as a tour.
In the two tower configuration, a user is connected to the cable extending between the towers via their harness. The user then departs from one tower and rides along the cable to the other tower. After arriving at the other tower, the user is disconnected from the cable, and the ride is over. Such attractions, while enjoyable and successful in the industry, can lead to long queues as waiting users must wait for each person to attach, ride, and detach from the cable. This can lead to user dissatisfaction, when considering the waiting time versus the actual ride time.
To avoid such user dissatisfaction, the so called tours that employ multiple towers allow users to successively ride from tower to tower, thereby lengthening their overall ride time. More specifically, a user begins at one tower, rides to the next tower, then disconnects from their current cable and connects to another cable to ride to another tower, and so on until the course is complete. Such tours are typically outdoors, and the towers are typically arranged in a non-linear fashion to give users a sense of variety.
As can be readily appreciated, a tour configuration with its multiple tower arrangement requires a considerable amount of acreage. Unfortunately, many recreational establishments cannot accommodate a tour configuration given their relatively limited outdoor space. As a result, these establishments have been heretofore unable to employ a zip line tour, and must either 1) resort to a two tower configuration despite its drawbacks as discussed above, or 2) forego their aspirations of employing a zip line attraction entirely. In view of these constraints, there is a need in the art for a zip line attraction that provides extended ride time to thereby increase user satisfaction, but not require the relatively large amount of real estate required in a tour configuration.
The invention provides such a zip line attraction. These and other advantages of the invention, as well as additional inventive features, will be apparent from the description of the invention provided herein.